Alex Salmond has refused to distance himself from Rupert Murdoch despite
evidence that Jack McConnell and his children had their mobile phones hacked
while the Labour leader was Scotland's First Minister.

Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale is taking legal action over allegations his phone was hacked while he was Scotland's First MinisterPhoto: PAUL GROVER

Mr Salmond indicated he will continue his close relationship with the media mogul after police visited his predecessor as First Minister, now Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale, to state that he was another of the News of the World’s victims.

Lord McConnell said he is taking legal action against Mr Murdoch’s News International after being informed that his phone number and those of his two children were found in the notes of a private detective who worked for the company.

Strathclyde Police believe that the now defunct tabloid ordered Glenn Mulcaire, who was jailed for hacking in 2007, to access the mobile phones messages and texts during his tenure as First Minister.

Mr Salmond condemned the alleged crimes but did not indicate he plans to stop being the world’s only political leader still pursuing a close relationship with Mr Murdoch.

Although he faced increasing pressure over his decision to lobby for News Corp’s failed takeover of BSkyB, the SNP leader praised the tycoon at the weekend as “one of the most substantial figures in journalism for the last 50 years”.

His spokesman said their relationship benefited the Scottish economy but he has yet to produce any evidence to support his claim the takeover would have let to more jobs north of the Border.

Margaret Curran, Labour’s Shadow Scottish Secretary and a former member of Lord McConnell’s Cabinet, said: “It is unbelievable that after one First Minister was hacked by Rupert Murdoch, his successor is still defending him today.

“Even after the sick revelations this summer about hacking the phone of a missing teenager, he became the only leader in Western Europe to invite Rupert Murdoch round for tea.”

Willie Rennie, the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, accused Mr Salmond of “putting his political motives above the interests of phone hacking victims” in his pursuit of the Scottish Sun’s backing for the SNP.

“Perhaps Alex Salmond would have acted with a bit more concern if his phone had been hacked by Rupert Murdoch's newspapers,” he added.

Lord McConnell, 51, his daughter Hannah, 33, and son Mark, 28, have consulted lawyers and will sue for breach of privacy. The peer was contacted by Strathclyde Police on behalf of the Metropolitan Police, which is leading the hacking inquiry.

“I would prefer not to comment on details but I can confirm that we are speaking to solicitors,” he said yesterday.

It is understood the Met discovered Lord McConnell’s mobile phone number and those of his children in Mulcaire’s notebooks.

In 2002, the News of the World carried a front-page story that John Leslie, the former TV presenter, had begged Hannah for a date in a “barrage of calls and text messages”.

After she initially rejected his advances, the tabloid reported: “Leslie called Hannah again and again, inundating her with messages until she caved in.”

A friend of the peer said: “Jack is angry that this might have happened to him but is absolutely furious that someone could have been interfering in the private lives of Hannah and Mark.”

News International has already paid out millions of pounds of compensation to hacking victims, including £2 million to the family of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler. It was this revelation that ended Mr Murdoch’s plan to take full control of BSkyB.

Emails released by the Leveson Inquiry last week showed Mr Salmond agreed to contact Jeremy Hunt, the Culture Secretary, to support the takeover at around the same time the Scottish Sun decided to back the SNP in last year’s Holyrood election.

The First Minister has denied any link but Geoff Aberdein, his special adviser involved in the talks, now faces an investigation into whether he broke the civil service code of conduct.

A spokesman for Mr Salmond condemned phone hacking but said he would continue his relationship with Mr Murdoch in the interests of “jobs and investment”.

He added: “It is disgraceful that Mr McConnell and his family could have been subjected to such intrusion.”

Strathclyde Police refused to comment and a spokesman for the Met refused to confirm if Lord McConnell was a hacking victim.